Written by our rad team member, Kiersten Roy
If you find yourself wondering how to elope in Redwood National Park, we’ve got you covered! Located in California, this national park is actually made up of multiple parks throughout the state (it can be a little confusing, we know). With all these parks to choose from though comes even more beautiful places to explore. In this blog, we will be focusing on our favorite place to elope in the redwoods – Jedediah Smith State Park. This is our absolute favorite place to elope in Redwoods National Park because you get to experience both the Oregon Coast and the redwoods all in one! So, are you ready to learn how to elope in Redwood National Park? Let’s do this!
How to Elope in Redwood National Park
- Choose Your Redwood National Park Elopement Photographer
- Decide When to Elope in the Redwoods
- Pick the Best Redwood National Park Elopement Location
- Decide Where to Stay for Your Elopement in the Redwoods
- Apply for Your Redwood National Park Elopement Permits
- Plan Your Redwood National Park Elopement Adventure
- Have the Best Day Ever!
Choose Your Redwood National Park Elopement Photographer
Psst…we know a pretty cool team of Redwood National Park elopement photographers who would love to document your day. In all seriousness though, hiring the right elopement photographer is a really important step in your redwoods elopement planning process! Because Redwood National Park can be a bit confusing to navigate, we recommend couples reach out to us BEFORE choosing an elopement date. On the call, we can talk about your elopement vision, the best time of year, and all the other good stuff to know about how to elope in Redwood National Park. We’ll then discuss potential dates and find the perfect one for your Redwood National Park elopement.
Decide When to Elope in the Redwoods
One of the best things about eloping in Redwood National Park is that you can get married here year-round (truly, you can’t go wrong with eloping here during ANY month of the year!). Below, we’ve highlighted the different seasons as well as temperatures and a few things you can expect for each one.
Spring
Average temperature: 59℉
We love the late spring/early summer months in the Redwoods. During this time of year, you can expect more rainy days (especially in the early spring months), but we have to say that the late spring temps are perfect!
Summer
Average temperature: 66℉
The summer months are the warmest in the redwoods, meaning that they also tend to be the most busy. Temperatures during summer are absolutely perfect, but we recommend eloping here during late spring or fall because you’ll get similar weather without the crowds.
Fall
Average temperature: 63℉
You can’t go wrong eloping in the redwoods during the fall months. The temperatures during this time of year are perfect, plus you’ll even get a tiny bit of fall colors sprinkled throughout the forest (talk about magical).
Winter
Average temperature: 52℉
Winter tends to be the least busy time of year in Redwood National Park. The temperatures are a bit chillier, meaning you’ll want to bring extra layers. If you are planning a winter elopement in the redwoods, we recommend early winter.
While we find ourselves exploring this national park year-round, we most often visit during May and June as well as the late fall/early winter months. We especially love these months because what you might not know is that the redwoods are filled with more than just trees. They’re also filled with tons of ferns! In the late spring and early summer months these ferns can grow to be over six feet tall (insane, we know!) from all the winter rain. This fills the forest with so much color and vibrancy making it a true sight to witness.
Pick the Best Redwood National Park Elopement Location
Because Redwood National Park is made up of so many different state parks, you have tons of beautiful trails to choose from for your elopement location. While these places are all incredible, we can’t help but recommend the trails in and around Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.
Stout Grove
One of the most famous and iconic trails in the national park is Stout Grove. While this area is stunning, it’s also really busy, so we don’t recommend it for your elopement ceremony. If you do want to include it in your day, we recommend visiting at sunrise when no one else is around. It’s during these morning hours that you’ll also have a high chance of getting light rays through the trees.
Secret Trails
There are quite a few other trails throughout this national park that we’ve scouted over the years. These trails hardly have any other visitors and are just as beautiful as Stout Grove, meaning you’ll get all the privacy plus the views! Once we start planning your Redwood National Park elopement, we’ll help walk you through finding the best trail for you elopement day!
Other Redwood National Park Elopement Locations
There are so many other areas to explore in the Redwoods! Here are a couple of the other state and national park areas you may want to visit.
No matter which location you choose, keep in mind that only certain trails allow permits or elopement ceremonies. As your Redwood National Park elopement photographer, we’ll help walk you through which trails you can choose from for your ceremony.
Decide Where to Stay For Your Elopement in the Redwoods
When deciding where you want to stay for your redwoods elopement, one thing to keep in mind is that this area is a bit remote. This means you may need to drive a bit to get from your accommodation to your ceremony location.
For couples eloping in the Jedediah Smith State Park area, we recommend staying in Brookings, Oregon. From here it takes about 45 minutes to get to the redwoods, but the best part about this location is that you get both the redwoods and the Oregon Coast (the best of both worlds)! Specifically, one of our favorite places for couples to stay is Crook Point.
Why We Love Crook Point for Your Redwood National Park Elopement
If you are looking for a beautiful place to stay for your Redwood National Park elopement, we can’t recommend Crook Point enough! This lodging (which happens to also double as a venue) is made up of these beautiful cabins located right on the water overlooking the Oregon Coast. Their private property is perfect for elopements and celebration meals! Picture this – after taking elopement photos with your partner in their wildflower-filled fields, you exchange vows at your elopement ceremony overlooking the ocean. And, because it’s private property, there is no one else around!! Magical right?
Crook Point is a local, family-owned lodging and venue that we absolutely love and can’t recommend enough to our couples. If you want to stay at this location or plan an elopement here, reach out to them early, because they book up quickly!
Apply for Your Redwood National Park Elopement Permits
As we mentioned earlier, if you are planning to hold your elopement ceremony in the Redwoods, there are a handful of trails that you can choose from. Getting married in the national park means that you will need to obtain a special use permit. This is something that we can help you walk through during the planning process.
Adventures to Consider For Your Redwood National Park Elopement
Hiking
First up on our list of Redwood National Park elopement activities is hiking! Even if you don’t consider yourself a big hiker, or if you are looking for ADA-accessible trails for your guests, there are tons of trails to choose from. Most of the forest trails are really accessible (some are even less than 1 mile) and there are even a few drive-up locations. And yes, if you’re looking for more adventure, we’ve got trails for you too!
Horseback Riding
Is there anything that sounds more magical than exploring forest trails on horseback? We know a horseback riding company that will bring horses to the redwoods allowing you a whole new way to experience the park!
Picnic
Here at Between the Pine, we LOVE a celebratory meal, especially when it comes in the form of a celebratory picnic. Whether you want to hold your picnic on the beach or in the redwoods at a day-use area or even at your campsite, there are so many ways to incorporate beauty with your celebratory meal throughout the day.
Beach Sunset
Yes, it is possible to experience both the coast and the forest at your Redwood National Park elopement (in fact, we highly recommend it!). Enjoying a sunset on the coast can be a perfect way to end your elopement day. Most of our couples book our sunrise-to-sunset package so they can experience the redwoods in the morning and the ocean in the evening and we’re telling you this is the best idea EVER! This allows you to be able to experience your day in a relaxed way (not to mention a beach sunset is chef’s kiss).
Bonfire On a Beach
The last activities we recommend are either ending your day in the hot tub (if your Airbnb has one) or on the beach with a bonfire (especially if you’re staying at Crook Point). Seriously, we can’t think of a better way to end your best day ever than this!
More Inspiration for Your Elopement in the Redwoods
Redwood National Park is a beautiful forest, but it’s multiple parks can make planning an elopement here a bit confusing. It doesn’t have to be though. We hope this guide helps you as you begin planning how to elope in Redwood National Park. And, if you’re ready to start planning your best day ever, click on the button below to get in touch!
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